A group of serial terrorists seek revenge and send Ari (guest star Rudolf Martin) on an assignment to kill Gibbs. The NCIS team goes on a hunt after him, but when they discover that Ari has a bigger plan, it is already too late... the NCIS team will have to face the death of one of their team members...

Noel Holston

NCIS is going to succeed first and foremost because of Harmon. His character is more or less the same quietly confident, genial guy he played when he was Allison Janney's ill-fated love interest on "The West Wing." He's essentially playing himself, and he's very good at it. [23 Sept 2003, p.B02]

Tim Goodman

While it's true that television has been overloaded with acronyms lately and the redundant, long and confusing Navy NCIS is an egregious offender, it's also true that television is exploding with quality dramas and this is another of them.

Matthew Gilbert

It's a competent clone, one that features a promising ensemble cast led by Mark Harmon and David McCallum - that's right folks, Illya Kuryakin from "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." If you have a taste for procedurals and a liking for Harmon's quiet charm, you'll find the show engaging enough. [23 Sept 2003, p.D14]

Phil Rosenthal

Too much of the pilot is spent trying to make us understand what NCIS is, and too much of this NCIS unit's time is devoted to wrestling for jurisdiction within the federal government. Just let these people do their work and we might actually have something beyond a mere potboiler. [23 Sept 2003, p.41]

Ed Bark

There's too much of this jurisdictional stuff and an overload of staring by Gibbs, most of it directed at the coltish Caitlin. The story is fairly involving, though. And Mr. Harmon is an underrated actor who's added some softer touches after playing Gibbs as a humorless taskmaster in a two-part JAG that introduced the character. [23 Sept 2003, p.10E]

Terry Kelleher

Robert Bianco

Unfortunately for CBS, one tiny flaw slipped into its otherwise masterful plan: The network let JAG's Don Bellisario do the clone-off rather than the folks at CSI. That may not affect the ratings, but in terms of quality, it's a deal breaker.

Robert P. Laurence

And the evidence is plain: Millions of Americans sense that terrorism is in their midst, and CBS doesn't mind kicking up that fear a notch for the sake of gaining a rating point or two. [23 Sept 2003, p.E-6]

Mike Duffy

David Bianculli

There's nothing flashy or special about this series, but it's satisfying and impressive in an old-fashioned way - much more so, in this opener, than its parent, "JAG." A lot of it is due to the ease with which Harmon and McCallum embody their characters. [23 Sept 2003, p.83]

Hal Boedeker

Harmon gives the show a serious injection of star power, and David McCallum plays a colorful medical examiner named Donald "Ducky" Mallard -- Bellisario went wacky with the names. This average crime procedural needs Ducky and every bit of personality it can muster. [23 Sept 2003, p.E1]

Craig Tomashoff

Instead of giving NCIS a playful touch, which could have distinguished it from "JAG," the writers repeatedly make every word and every situation as predictable as possible. Even the attempts to be hip and humorous -- Gibbs gets some shut-eye on a gurney alongside a corpse, the tattooed Sciuto loves to party into the wee hours -- seem as fresh and innovative as an "Adam-12" marathon.

Bill Goodykoontz

Ann Donahue

There's not a lot of originality being shown here, which is distressing to see in an initial effort that's so glacially paced. The audience literally knows what's coming and is forced to wait for the conclusion for the scenario to come to fruition.

Tom Shales

Navy NCIS may not be ghastly, but it's a mutation, gratuitous and clunky. We don't need another criminal investigation show and we don't need another military justice show, and this series is those two, two, two shows in one.

Aaron Barnhart

But if its idea of entertainment is a new domestic terrorist threat every week - as it is in tonight's debut - no thanks. As for the stars, Harmon is Harmon, an acquired taste I never acquired. [23 Sept 2003, p.E1]